A number of cardholder devices, cases, and related inventions are known in the art. Some of the known cases are configured to merely hold cards; others are designed to dispense cards. Some include hinged covers; others include spring-loaded covers. Examples of various types of cases disclosed in United States patents are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,505 (Kurosaki) discloses a cardholder for holding a card. The holder includes a couple of springs, against which a card to be held is placed. The springs function to dispense the card from the case.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,058 (Parker) discloses a dispenser for business or calling cards. This patented device includes a retracted ejector mechanism on the side of the case for dispensing the cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,129 (Tepfer) discloses a sales slip wallet. The drawing figures of this patent depict various embodiments of the wallet, all of which use elastic means to urge panels of the wallet into a closed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,896 (Newell) discloses a card case intended for carrying credit cards. The case includes a lid operatively arranged to be prevented from closing until all intended cards are replaced within the case.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,839 (Ward) discloses a container for air treating devices, which container includes two end caps, secured to one another by an elastic band to bias the two end caps toward one another, closing the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,312 (Hamlon) discloses a container having a lid, hinged to the container and biased toward a closed position by a rubber band secured to the bottom of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,531,737 (Lyon, Jr.) discloses a container having a spring biased sliding closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,349,985 (Page) discloses a receptacle closure for a small container. The lid to the container is hinged, and an elastic band is secured to the underside of the lid and a sidewall of the container, arranged to urge closure of the lid onto the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,219,029 (Kell) discloses an early 20th century example of a spring closing receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,094,288 (Wick) discloses a matchbox having a spring-loaded cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 356,524 (Clement) is an 1887 patent that describes a cylindrically shaped holder for pens and pencils. The invention includes two balls, one at each end of the holder. The balls are connected to one another by an elastic band, urging them inwardly towards the body of the holder.
Finally, U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 338,336(Grant) discloses a card case having a hinged top.
Despite the many examples of cases in the patent art, as yet no one has apparently invented or patented a case having the structure or function of the present invention.